The Israel Defense Forces said Palestinian gunmen opened fire on the bus near the settlement of Hamra, seriously injuring one soldier. Five other soldiers and the civilian driver of the bus were injured. The attack came amid rising violence in the West Bank. The seriously wounded soldier and the bus driver, in moderate condition, were airlifted to Rambam Hospital in Haifa with gunshot wounds. The other five soldiers were slightly injured by broken glass. The gunmen fled the scene, but two suspects were arrested soon after by Israeli soldiers and police, the IDF and Israeli police said. Several firearms were found at the scene. The couple was questioned by the Shin Bet security service. The gunmen’s getaway vehicle caught fire during their escape, likely from a flammable liquid they tried to pour on the bus during the attack, according to local officials. Both appeared injured in images released online. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms The couple were named by Palestinian media as Muhammed and Walid Turkman, apparently relatives, from the Jenin area in the northern West Bank. Israeli police inspect weapons used in a shooting attack by Palestinian gunmen, in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley, September 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) A third suspect apparently fled, according to Jewish media reports. The IDF said troops continued to search the area for additional suspects. Defense Minister Benny Gantz hailed troops for arresting the pair of suspects after the attack. “Security forces immediately launched a manhunt and arrested the suspects in the attack in a swift and professional operation,” he said on Twitter. “We will continue to increase our focused operations against terrorism in the Judea and Samaria region,” he added, using the biblical name for the West Bank. Gantz wished the injured victims a speedy recovery. Israeli medics take a wounded man for treatment at Rambam Hospital in the northern Israeli city of Haifa after a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley on September 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) Prime Minister Yair Lapid also wished a speedy recovery to the soldiers and bus driver injured in the shooting attack, while praising first responders and troops for treating the injured and quickly locating the suspects. “We will continue to reach out to anyone who attempts to harm the citizens and soldiers of the State of Israel,” Lapid said in a statement. An Israeli soldier walks next to a burnt-out car allegedly used by Palestinian gunmen, near the site of a shooting attack on an Israeli bus in the Jordan Valley, September 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) Last month, shots were fired at an Israeli bus traveling along Route 60, the West Bank’s main north-south highway, near the settlement of Ofra. The bus was full at the time of the attack and at least eight bullet holes were found in the windows and body of the bus, but no injuries were reported. Members of the Israeli security forces and emergency services inspect the scene of a shooting attack on a bus carrying soldiers in the Jordan Valley on September 4, 2022. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP) Tensions have escalated in the West Bank recently, with Israeli security forces stepping up arrest raids and operations following a deadly wave of terror attacks that left 19 dead earlier this year. Last week alone saw several attacks, as Palestinian gunmen fired on several military positions in the West Bank and a soldier was stabbed near Hebron. There were also numerous stone-pelting attacks on Israeli civilians driving into the West Bank. You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. Thank you, David Horowitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
